Given name & surname
Gaia
“of the earth”
Gaia is a variant of Gaea. One Greek interpretation is “of the earth.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Gaia is a variant of Gaea. One Greek interpretation is “of the earth.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Probably from Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (“Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In classical mythology, Gaia is associated with the primeval goddess of the earth.
Gaia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,434
- 0 boys · 2,434 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 219 babies
- 2025
- 157
- #1,392 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +64%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 157 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,392 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 63.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (24). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,448 as a first name in 2020; 301 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gaia’s family of names
In Italian usage, Gaia has a conventional equivalent in the Latin form Caia. Gaia has a related form in Gaea. In Italian usage, Gaia has a conventional equivalent in the Latin form Gaea.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gaia has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Gaia
- Gaia WeissFrench actress and modelborn 1991
- Gaia ZucchiItalian actress, showgirl and writerborn 1970
- Gaia CauchiMaltese singerborn 2002
- Gaia Bassani AntivariItalian-Azerbaijani alpine skierborn 1978
- Gaia GiovanniniItalian international volleyball playerborn 2001
- Gaia Germaniactress (1934–2019)
- GaiaItalian singer-songwriterborn 1997
- Gaia RealiniItalian cyclistborn 2001
- Gaia Sabbatinimiddle-distance runner (1999–)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gaia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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